Opposite dugout: Blue Jays hoping to hold onto top wild card spot

Manager: John Gibbons (9th season)

Record: 86-70

Last 10 games: 6-4

Who to watch: DH Edwin Encarnacion (42 HR, 126 RBIs); RF Jose Bautista (21 HR, 67 RBIs); 3B Josh Donaldson (.284 average with 36 HR, 96 RBIs); RHP Aaron Sanchez (13-2, 3.12 ERA); RHP Marcus Stroman (9-9, 4.34 ERA).

Season series vs. Orioles: 9-7

Pitching probables:

September 27: RHP Kevin Gausman vs. RHP Aaron Sanchez, 7:07 p.m., MASN
September 28: RHP Chris Tillman vs. LHP Francisco Liriano, 7:07 p.m., MASN
September 29: RHP Ubaldo Jimenez vs. RHP Marcus Stroman, 7:07 p.m., MASN

Inside the Blue Jays:

For most of the season, the battle for the American League East crown was a three-team race. At one time or another, the Orioles, Red Sox and Blue Jays all held the top spot in the division, and it looked as if it would take all 162 games for one team to come out on top.

Yet as we head into the final week of the regular season, the Red Sox are the hottest team in the major leagues, and are well on their way to capturing the AL East title. For the Orioles and Blue Jays, the focus now shifts to securing one of the two wild card spots and, hopefully, gaining home field advantage in the one-game playoff.

It's been a bit of a rough month for the Blue Jays. After posting a winning record in every month from May through August, the Blue Jays have a subpar mark in September. Still, a 6-4 record over their last 10 games has the Blue Jays atop the wild card standings, though their closest challenger just so happens to be coming to town for a pivotal three-game series at Rogers Centre.

Much like their opponent, the Blue Jays don't hit consistently, but when they do, they sure pack a ton of power. The Jays rank 23rd in the majors with a .249 average, but are second in the league with 217 home runs, trailing only the Orioles. That display of power is led by designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion, who leads the American League with 126 RBIs and is tied for second with 42 home runs. Reigning AL MVP Josh Donaldson may not capture the award for a second straight year, but is having just as good of a season. He leads Toronto in batting average (.284) and hits (158), while his 105 walks on the season show a much more patient hitter, which has led to a more than 30-point bump in on-base percentage from a year ago. While always a threat with his glove in the outfield, Kevin Pillar boasts a good eye at the plate, as well. He's batting just .266 but is on pace to finish the season with more than 150 hits for the second straight year.

Aaron Sanchez starts tonight's series opener on the mound for the Blue Jays, looking to add to an already career-high 13 win-season. Sanchez is no stranger to the Orioles, having faced them four times already, and will aim to remain perfect against the Birds. In four starts, the right-hander is 3-0 with three quality starts. After being traded from the Pirates to the Blue Jays in August, Francisco Liriano has been a solid addition to the starting rotation. He's just 2-2 since moving north of the border, but has issued more than three earned runs in just one of his seven starts and is coming off of a three-hit shutout against the Yankees on Sept. 23. It's certainly been a month to forget for Thursday's starter, Marcus Stroman. The 25-year-old entered the month at 9-5, but has lost four straight starts and hasn't won a start since Aug.14. That may not all be Stroman's fault, however. The right-hander has yet to allow more than three runs in any start all month and gave up just one hit over seven innings in his last start, though was saddled with a no-decision.

Roberto Osuna handles the ninth inning for the Blue Jays and has racked up an impressive 35 saves to go along with a 2.61 ERA. He ran into trouble in his most recent appearance, however, surrendering two earned runs in the ninth inning, but avoided the loss in a 4-3 Jays victory.